Chris Taylor and Gas Powered Games announce Wildman, an upcoming cross between an action/RPG and a real-time strategy game they say will offer "a brand new and unique gaming experience." The game is the subject of a Kickstarter that seeks to raise at least $1.1 million to develop the game, and the page includes this video featuring Chris and the team discussing the game and showing off some concept artwork. Here's word on the game:

Imagine a game where you control a single hero unit—the “Wildman”—in the middle of a raging battle between opposing forces in a specially designed War Zone. You engage the enemy and see your opponent switching tactics, forcing you to reconfigure your army to counter. You push the enemy back to their base before facing your opponent’s champion. Over the course of this battle, you upgrade your armies with new technology, execute special abilities, construct defenses, change your army composition, and shape-shift into new forms that grant you new abilities. This is Wildman.

Now imagine that between these War Zone battles you can go on role-playing adventures. You can explore fantastical environments. You can discover ancient dungeons full of mystery and treasure. You can earn new skills. You can discover and equip new weapons and armor. You can collect materials. You can craft new items. You can fight relentless onslaughts of men and monsters. This is also Wildman.

2nd_floor wrote on Jan 14, 2013, 18:11:What happened to Kings and Castles, and crazy chickens that were supposed to be in it? (a fan asked for chickens that do something at one point, to be in the game, and CT said yes they woul beincluded).

Seriously, why is this game ,( kings and castles) still on hold indef.?

It’s still there; they just need to get some money going to support the game. If you think it’s easy getting anyone to buy off on supporting a game anymore think again. It’s not. Publishers are not putting out the money. They are using in-house now and supporting from within. Smaller developers like GPG has to do whatever they can just to keep afloat.

Personally I will support them; it looks like it could be a fun smashed the hell out of everything type game.

ldonyo wrote on Jan 14, 2013, 16:34:Translation: We couldn't get a publisher to bite, so we're going the Kickstarter route to see just how gullible gamers with money really are.

Or: "We're not interested if it isn't an IP that has been driven into the ground. Have anything else? How about a game where you are on a squad of soldiers that fights other squads of soldiers...you upgrade your guy to buy new weapons, and if you get kills, you can get special perks...lets call them "power ups". It should be all gritty and stuff. Let's call it. "Soldier Fighter: Future of Warfare".

What happened to Kings and Castles, and crazy chickens that were supposed to be in it? (a fan asked for chickens that do something at one point, to be in the game, and CT said yes they woul beincluded).

Seriously, why is this game ,( kings and castles) still on hold indef.?

jacobvandy wrote on Jan 14, 2013, 16:05:Anyway, I do like GPG titles (despite the super meh Space Siege, which was their last ARPG), so $20 to help them make a new one without a publisher is worth it IMO. Doesn't matter that they *could* get it funded the traditional way, the point is to avoid the bullshit strings that get attached...

Hmm, good points. I may reconsider.

EDIT: I did Kickstart Planetary Annihilation. Stoked for that.

"The worst of it all is i used to ENJOY getting excited for big titles like this, but these publishers just keep ruining my love for this wonderful hobby with their endless fuckery." - Sempai

Sounds like they're spreading themselves a little thin with the game design here. Particularly this idea of there being things to do between "War Zone battles." So, between the core mode of the game, we're playing a watered down Dungeon Siege game (if that's even possible)?

jdreyer wrote on Jan 14, 2013, 15:53:This looks pretty cool, and I love Chris Taylor's RTSs. I won't KS this though. This seems pretty obvious, and likely to have wide appeal: combining RTS and ARPG elements into a single gameplay experience. I do appreciate they're building in mod tools, but they should have no problem getting a publisher to fund this.

What I'd really like to see is from Chris, and that I WOULD KS are:

1. Another SupCom2. SupCom: Kingdoms3. An FPS/RTS hybrid along the lines of the 1998 Battlezone].

Anyway, I do like GPG titles (despite the super meh Space Siege, which was their last ARPG), so $20 to help them make a new one without a publisher is worth it IMO. Doesn't matter that they *could* get it funded the traditional way, the point is to avoid the bullshit strings that get attached...

This looks pretty cool, and I love Chris Taylor's RTSs. I won't KS this though. This seems pretty obvious, and likely to have wide appeal: combining RTS and ARPG elements into a single gameplay experience. I do appreciate they're building in mod tools, but they should have no problem getting a publisher to fund this.

What I'd really like to see is from Chris, and that I WOULD KS are:

1. Another SupCom2. SupCom: Kingdoms3. An FPS/RTS hybrid along the lines of the 1998 Battlezone.

"The worst of it all is i used to ENJOY getting excited for big titles like this, but these publishers just keep ruining my love for this wonderful hobby with their endless fuckery." - Sempai